David Kim’s strategy comeback with Battle Aces is driven by a personal desire to prove that real-time strategy (RTS) games can still be exciting without being overly complex. The game’s developer, Uncapped Games, aims to streamline the genre by reducing the average playtime and increasing player focus on unit building and army management.
Kim, former Blizzard RTS franchise lead, developed a successor to StarCraft, but it was canceled before its release. Now, with Battle Aces, he’s looking for a fresh start in the RTS market. The game reduces friction in technical execution and build options, allowing workers to form on their own and bases to pop up at expansion slots.
In 10-minute matches, combat feels breezy, but Kim emphasizes that the true challenge lies in deck building and strategic decisions before the match begins. Players must consider composition, tech builds, and potential counters, making it a mind game that requires skill and strategy.
Kim acknowledges concerns about microtransactions, but the team is taking a cautious approach, focusing on testing features and community feedback before deciding on a monetization model. Battle Aces seems to be an attempt to iterate on the RTS genre, rather than simply reviving an existing formula.
With its unique take on RTS gameplay, Battle Aces aims to prove that there’s still room for innovation in this popular genre. Whether it succeeds remains to be seen, but Kim’s passion and dedication to the cause make it an intriguing project worth watching.
Source: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/blizzard-veteran-david-kims-strategy-comeback-with-battle-aces-is-very-personal-i-just-cant-accept-the-end-all-peak-of-rts-is-starcraft-2-and-nothing-can-ever-be-better